Fall from aircraft: serious injuries: £160,000 fine
Health and Safety Executive v Inflite Engineering Ltd (2017) Chelmsford magistrates’ court, March 15
Statutory reference: ss. 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (HSWA).
Inflite Engineering Ltd, an aircraft engineering company, has been fined after two workers suffered injuries when they fell from the tail of an aeroplane.
The facts
· In June 2015 two men were carrying out checks on the tail of an aeroplane at Stansted Airport. They were working on either side of the tail, using elevated work platforms, when another worker closed the wrong circuit breaker. This activated the aircraft’s air brake and both work platforms were knocked over.
· The workers fell between 10 and 15 feet. One, an employee of the company, suffered multiple fractures and a punctured lung. The other, an agency worker, suffered fractures.
· No suitable risk assessment was in place and there was a lack of effective monitoring.
Decision
The company was fined £160,000 plus £5400 costs under ss. 2 and 3, HSWA.